Trial by Ordeal

Chambers of Justice #6

by Craig Parshall

Sweating in a hot cauldron of lawsuits, red tape, and Mafia threats is history professor Kevin Hastings.

The young, modestly successful professor stumbled across just the right investment property in downtown Chicago. And met just the right buyer for it, he thought.

But when you're a little guy running with the big guys, you gotta be careful you don't end up squished. Kevin's real-estate lawyer gave him bum advice. His buyer turned out to be a mob boss. And his new attorney is a legal torture expert, putting everybody:including Kevin:through an all-but-medieval ordeal-at-law.

Booted out of his apartment and on the run, Kevin ends up at a rescue mission:another torment. There's no way things could get worse...right?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Craig Parshall is a bestselling fiction author with twelve suspense novels to his credit. His tales of human drama and spiritual encounter have garnered rave reviews from critics and readers alike. Craig is also a Washington insider serving as special counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice on matters before the US Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill, and before state supreme courts. As a constitutional lawyer, Craig has testified frequently before committees of Congress and the FCC, and has been interviewed on a wide range of cultural issues by most of the major media networks and newspapers nationwide.

Reviews

[Kristina Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters: I enjoyed the main character's rather sarcastic narration.

Language: Clean.

Moral: If I had to pick a moral, I'd say salvation. The main character spent the majority of the book as an unbeliever, but he accepted Christ near the end.

Plot: The plot kept my attention mostly. The only part that lost me was the legal drama at the end. But I suppose I should've expected legal drama from a legal thriller.

Romance: Clean and very minor.

Writing: This book was written in first person POV and told as if the main character were looking back on events and narrating them. I struggled a little with this style at first, but I got used to it.

Overall: I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys legal thrillers.

[Serenity F. Helzerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good!! I loved it! It’s the kind that keeps you on your toes. I’d give it a 12+ rating. Definitely recommend!!

[Addison S · Rating 5 out of 5]

When COVID19 came to Ohio, I ran to my library right before it closed and grabbed tons of books off the shelves. I didn’t really have high expectations that I would grab something I would really like but I figured that if I was going to be stuck in the house for days on end I need some sort of entertainment.
I’m so glad I happened to grab this book! It was phenomenal! It tells the story of a professor at a college who is just trying to make it rich quick. He buys some property with an old church on it and plans to sell it to an unknown buyer. Little does he know that the buyer has a pretty shady past.... Join Kevin Hastings as his life is completely flipped over. I felt so bad for the guy.
One of my fav things about this book was all the law stuff. I am, by no means, an expert in this area and the author wrote very clear and explained everything extremely well. It’s a great read. If you are stuck somewhere with nothing to do or you’re simply looking for a new read, I would greatly recommend this book to you.

[Tiffany Tubville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the amount of lawsuits he had, the first lawyer, and the “bad guys” he got involved with were a little much at times, but I was still drawn into the storyline and enjoyed the plot of Kevin losing everything and finding what’s truly important, Christ. My favorite characters were Jim Loveland, owner of the rescue mission, and Daniel Petranelli, the lawyer that helped Kevin. They were humble, godly men making it their mission to help others through the love of Christ.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several of Craig Parshall’s books, and this one is my favorite so far. Imagine unknowingly getting roped into a real estate deal with the mob that you can’t go through with, but there is seemingly no way out. Very tense and exciting, this one had me involved and turning pages quickly. The author is also a lawyer, so the legal strategies in his novels are fascinating and ring true. The personalities of several lawyers in this book are varied and unusual. If you like Christian legal thrillers, be sure to read this one!

[Jeff Danhauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read. A very cynical but probably accurate portrayal of the court system and the system of 'justice'

[Penny Clawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read...predictable rather than suspenseful.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the intricacies of the American legal system even though I am British. Extremely complicated but enjoyable. A touch of romance too.

[David Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a little better than 4 stars, maybe as high as 4.5 stars. It is easy reading; the plot kept moving, with the protagonist getting in escalating problems, mostly due to his own actions. He made a poor choice with his lawyer, though that was really based on a bad recommendation.

The things I thought could have been handled better:
- The meeting the protag has with his eventual love interest wasn't clear. I would have liked it to be better.
- The unraveling of the protag's legal problems seemed almost unbelievable. I don't want to reveal what happens. Let's just say too many things that happened seem improbable.
- Parshall on occasion explains things that the reader should be smart enough to understand. When some Mafia goons come after the protag with baseball bats, the author tells us they are wielding baseball bats, then that the protag didn't want to be beaten with Louisville Slugger baseball bats. Really, Mr. Parshall? You didn't think your reader would understand what a Louisville Slugger is?
- The Mafia people are presented in a stereotypical way, as you would expect mobsters from the 1950s and 60s.

This is certain worth the read.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When mild mammered college history prof. Kevin Hastings decides to invest in some commercial real estate in Chicago as an investment, he never guesses that he will eventually become a mob target as well as the halls of justice, as lawsuits pile up one on top of another. He ends up asking for sanctuary in a homeless shelter while he tries to put his shattered life back together again. while there, he also finds Someone greater than himself, the Lord, who can help when all avenues seem hopeless.
I recommend this book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like craig Parshall's books. this one threw me off - it was first person and at first I found it difficult to get into because of that. I have been reading so many third person books - it was just different. It is a good example of good trumping evil, and with believable examples.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as well as the Will Chambers books Parshall has written. As a professor, it bothered me that the sections about Kevin's life as a professor were full of erroneous material about this line of work and the tenure process. Tess was also not a very well drawn character.

[Sheldon Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, if predictable. Ending was weak. But not a bad read.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, very well written from start to finish.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good legal read! You will be frustrated and mad, but the end is worth it.